The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Confident (07/05/07)
Green Bikes and Hairy Legs

The bike was green, a florescent green, with two thick dirty wheels. The rider straddled its’ seat, with a pair of black hairy legs protruding from baggy shorts. A long dark pony tail, greasy and held back by a running shoe lace ran down his back.. He was probably in his mid-thirties, with a face that held long dark shadows in the sunlight.

I watched him as he struggled with the bike, propping himself up on the seat, pushing with one long leg to get a good start, pedal a block or so, and then stop. He’d get off it, squat beside it as if to check the tires, or brakes, or frame. Then on it again. He did this over, and over. On the bike, off the bike. Down the street, up the street. I wasn’t sure whether the problem was the bike, or his confidence in its’ ability to actually take him someplace and bring him back again.

On and off. Again, and again, covering the same territory, his face growing shinier with sweat under the blaze of the sun. One minute he’d push off, ready to head down the street non-stop, and the next, he was squatting beside it again, checking tires and frame and brakes and steering. I felt myself getting frustrated at him. Why couldn’t he just get on that bike and ride it to where he wanted it to go. Surely he’d checked it out enough times to know its’ capability.

Except for the long, dark pony tail and black hairy legs, all of a sudden, I saw myself as the rider. Maybe it was a stretch to compare the God on the pages of my Bible to the single seated metal carrier, but I did.

This man wasn’t at all sure of the bike, which meant he wasn’t going anywhere outside of his comfort zone, just up and down the same street, with an occasional jaunt around the block and back.

Did this typify my Christian walk?

How confident am I in the God of the Bible, that He actually has the ability to carry me through whatever situation I find myself in. How many times do I start out with faith, and then stop and check the situation, and myself, and then the situation again, and somehow lose sight of Him. How confident am I that He will do for me what He promised once I commit to the situation and let Him become my bicycle.

Okay, this is quite a stretch, but the analogy works in terms of practical application. Maybe this hairy legged man wasn’t getting anywhere himself, but he did accomplish something, indirectly, for this observer.

I need to trust the bike. “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, who puts his confidence in Him.” (Jer. 17:7 NIV)

By the way, there was no sign of the man on the bike the next day.
Do angels give object lessons?
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 1332 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Marilyn Schnepp 
07/12/07
My first impression was "where is this going?"...but your keen observation gave me something to think about also. Good thinking! Great message. Job well done.
Kristi Sands
07/12/07
Excellent analogy! I often get off the bike and inspect God as if He's the one with the issue, when really it's the rider (me) who has no clue what she's doing!
Michelle Burkhardt
07/12/07
With a title like that, I just had to read. I liked your comparison of your faith in God and the biker's faith in his equipment. Nice job.
Verna Cole Mitchell 
07/13/07
What a great analogy! Your description adds a great deal to your story. It's such a good reminder that we need to keep on our "bicycle of faith," confident it will carry us safely.
Dee Yoder
07/13/07
Your title drew me in, too. And the analogy kept me drawn in to the end. This is a great devotional reading and makes the point in a clear, interesting manner.
Jan Ackerson
07/13/07
Great title, great analogy! You were very visual in the early paragraphs, and I enjoyed picturing the situation.

FYI: fluorescent, and its' is never correct: either its (possessive) or it's (meaning "it is" or "it has").

I loved the extra details that gave this a touch of realism--the green bike, the hairy legs, etc. Very good!
Joanne Sher 
07/14/07
What an amazingly awesome object lesson here. You grabbed me from the beginning. Love it.
Lynda Schultz 
07/14/07
Very well done message. The story of the hariy-legged bike rider captured my attention and the point melted smoothly into the story. Good work.
Sharlyn Guthrie
07/14/07
This is just the type of devotional I enjoy reading. You drew me in with the title and the descriptive visuals, then made an unllikely, but very effective analogy to the Christian life. Excellent!
Ed VanDeMark
07/15/07
I like your title. I understand your analogy from personal experience, do you live in my neighborhoo? Good job.
dub W
07/15/07
Minor glitches, but a puppy in the pen. This analogy is so well stated as to be of note. Thanks, I enjoyed the read.